History

PIOJ’s 50th Anniversary Conference on Economic and Social Planning Institute of Jamaica

The Minister of Finance and Planning, Dr. The Honourable Omar Davies challenges the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) to produce national development plans that are realistic, achievable and more relevant to the country’s realities.

…2006

· The Honourable Minister instructs the PIOJ, in accordance with its mandate (PIOJ Act of 1984), to commence the process of:

- building a model which is responsive to the structure of the economy;

- preparing a long-term National Strategic Plan with the model as its quantitative tool.

The plan will take into account, existing policies, programmes and sector plans, the Medium Term Framework, the National Industrial Policy, the commitments expressed in the Millennium Development Goals and other international agreements.

· Threshold 21 (adapted T21 Jamaica) is selected as the new economic planning model. It has the capacity to provide scenarios of long-term outcomes and consequences of different strategies.

· The PIOJ Director General, Dr. Wesley Hughes, leads the PIOJ in preparation of a 25-year National Development Plan, which later becomes Vision 2030 Jamaica, scheduled for completion by April 2008.

· A core team comprising a Plan Development Unit (PDU) located within the office of the Director General, PIOJ Directors and technical officers oversees the timely preparation, articulation and monitoring of the Plan.

· A Plan Advisory Group (PAG) provides strategic guidance, national perspective in the formulation of the Plan; and is to champion support for the process among the private sector and civil society groups. The PAG is chaired by a private sector leader with members drawn from the private and public sectors and civil society.

· Priority areas of development are identified; a visioning process begins— through several workshops and a national scoping exercise— to decide on the national sustainable development framework for Jamaica. These island-wide events involve Stakeholders and the Office of the Cabinet. The result is the crafting of a National Vision and comprehensive Vision Statement— “Jamaica, the place of choice to live, work, raise families and do business”— that reflect the dreams and aspirations of all Jamaicans.

2. The Plan Development Process

To ensure the successful preparation, implementation and ownership of a national plan, the process is strengthened by:

(i) The establishment of thirty-two (32) Task Forces, each charged with developing a related Sector Plan; this number is reduced to 28 when some groups are merged. Members on each Task Force represent government ministries, other relevant public sector bodies, the private sector, civil society and the International Development Partners (IDPs). Each Chairperson represents either the public or private sector.

(ii) Building local capacity to use, modify, institutionalize and ensure sustainability of the T21 Jamaica model. To ensure this, the PIOJ trains four persons in System Dynamics, the platform on which the T21model is built. The team, in conjunction with Consultants from the Millennium Institute, USA, customizes the model to address key issues that are relevant to Jamaica’s achievement of developed country status; and trains others in the public sector and from the international development community in its use.

(iii) Launching the Vision 2030 Jamaica Planning Process The Planning process of Vision 2030 Jamaica is launched, with much fanfare, in October 2007 at the Jamaica Conference Center. The event provides information and helps to sensitize the public about the Vision 2030 Jamaica process, its implications for individual and collective wellbeing; and to enlist everyone’s full support.

(iv) Ongoing island-wide consultations, with key stakeholders and the general public. Consultations are key components of the communication strategy: to share pertinent information on the proposed plan, and discuss ideas for the effective participation and engagement of everyone in the historic initiative. Key stakeholders, include: the Hon. Prime Minister and members of Cabinet; Leader of the Opposition and Shadow Cabinet; political parties; Board of Permanent Secretaries; ministries of Government; civil society groups, including Trade Unions; community groups; young entrepreneurs; Fifth and Sixth Form students (in clusters of High schools, from Kingston, St. Catherine and St. Thomas); the Media; Private Sector; and International Development Partners (IDPs).

Discussion of and feedback on the draft sector plans and the integrated draft National Development Plan form the core of the consultations.

(v) A Review Process

To ensure standards of the highest quality, the draft sector plans undergo a rigorous review process. This ensures the integration of issues where feasible, and helps identify duplications and inconsistencies. The review takes into account the existing strategic priority areas and the strict institutional alignment that supports the planning process. The review is built on two key pillars:

1. Internal (Peer) reviews of sector plans by directors and staff of the PIOJ.

2. External reviews by a number of small multi-disciplinary teams comprising critical thinkers and key experts in the society (including persons from the Diaspora, where possible) and led by the Director General of the PIOJ.

The task forces are divided into seven (7) clusters to facilitate the review process. Some sector plans are reviewed in more than one cluster due to the nature of the issues. The clusters also consider cross-cutting issues which are presented in other sector plans. This ensures the integration of issues where feasible, and identifies duplications and inconsistencies.

As part of the review process, the T21-Jamaica team assesses the impact of the strategies on the economy, society, and environment that have been formulated by sector task forces.

(vi) Updating the Ministry with responsibility for planning, and the Cabinet on the plan development process, at strategic intervals.

3. The Plan is completed

…2009

· During the May 2009 Budget Debate, Prime Minister the Hon. Bruce Golding tables the Integrated Vision 2030 Jamaica – National Development Plan and (companion implementation guide) the Medium Term Socio Economic Policy Framework (MTF) 2009-2012, in the House of Parliament.

· Completed in April 2009, the Plan is based on Guiding Principles that put people at the centre of Jamaica’s development. It prioritises issues for attention, based on elements that are critical for enhancing the quality of life of all Jamaicans and for the country’s achievement of world-class standards in the predetermined areas. This long-term development plan seeks to put Jamaica in the position to achieve developed country status by 2030.

· The Plan is guided by: - Four (4) interrelated National Goals that identify what we want to achieve for the society, economy, environment and in governance - 15 National Outcomes that are linked to the relevant National Goals - 84 National Strategies that guide the steps of ministries, departments and agencies of government (MDAs), private sector, civil society from 2009 to 2030 - A Results-based Monitoring & Evaluation framework - Indicators & Targets at the national and sector levels.